Lawmakers fine-tune proposed overhaul of teacher licensing in Minnesota

Apr 05, 2017

MinnPost, Erin Hinrichs

Sen. Eric Pratt, R-Prior Lake, remembers how difficult it was for his mother — who already had 14 years of teaching experience — to get a teaching license when his family moved to Minnesota when he was a teenager.

She eventually navigated her way through the administrative jungle and ended up finishing out another 25 years as a sixth-grade teacher in Shakopee. But the ordeal left an impression on Pratt, who now chairs the Senate E-12 Policy Committee. He’s been sharing this anecdote with his colleagues at the Capitol to illustrate the longstanding need to streamline the state’s teacher licensure system.